00:00Braves' latest Acuna Jr. move raises many questions.
00:04Ronald Acuna Jr., the heartbeat of the Atlanta Braves and 2023 NL MVP,
00:10faces significant performance woes alongside health issues.
00:14Returning from right Achilles, tendon inflammation on August 15th, Acuna's slump.
00:19183-71 at-bats and a 1-29 skid led manager Brian Snicker to lower his batting order,
00:26a decision not made since his rookie season.
00:29Performance issues are now as prominent as health concerns.
00:32On Saturday, Acuna batted 6th, his first start outside the top 4 since 2018.
00:38On Sunday, Snicker pushed him even lower, to 7th.
00:42For perspective, Acuna has started 6.76 of his 7.96 career games in the lead-off spot,
00:49per baseball reference.
00:51He had made just 5 career starts batting 7th before this weekend.
00:55He has never started lower.
00:56And here's where it gets even stranger.
01:00Atlanta is 12 games back of the final NL wildcard spot with just 20 games left.
01:06This isn't October prep, and there's no pennant race urgency.
01:10Why bury your franchise cornerstone in the order now instead of letting him work through the slump at the top?
01:15But with the season lost, lineup construction should be about setting up stars like Acuna for a strong finish.
01:23Instead, he's being asked to climb out of his struggles while sandwiched between two other bats fighting their own battles.
01:29Marcelo Zuna, a three-time All-Star in his own right, is hitting just 146 over his last 16 games.
01:37Nacho Alvarez Jr., rounding out the order, has a 6.69 OPS and zero home runs in 130 at-bats.
01:45That hardly offers protection for a slumping MVP.
01:48To Snitker's credit, shuffling the lineup when a star is ice cold isn't uncommon.
01:53But in this case, the move feels more symbolic than strategic.
01:57With nothing left to play for in 2025, the Braves should be giving Ronald Acuna Jr. every chance to rediscover his swing in his natural spot, setting the tone at leadoff.
02:08Instead, Atlanta's biggest star is suddenly batting 7th at the lowest point of his career, while the season fades out in silence.
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